"I'm starting to think you don't like my boyfriend," I commented as I joined Lex's side, he glanced down at me before excusing himself from the rich, probably important guy, he'd been talking to.
"Now what makes you think that?" he asked me curiously, turning fully to face me. I glanced over my shoulder to where Lana and Whitney were sat talking at a table. "Oh, you're wondering why the quarterback was allowed to come and your linebacker wasn't?"
"Something, like that," I nodded in agreement.
"I gave you the option to bring a date," he smirked down at me.
"No, you gave me the option to bring Pete," I corrected. "You're not my dad Lex and you're not my brother either. And even if you were, do you think I'd actually listen to you and dump Jamie? No I didn't think so."
"You and Pete were good together," he told me softly making me frown at him, "You and the jock... not so much." I shook my head slightly and turned to walk away from him, heading for the exit, only for Clark to take my arm and tow me over to a display case with a golden breastplate on it. I glanced over the snake in an S shape in the middle and arched a disbelieving eyebrow.
"You know it belonged to Alexander the Great?" Lex commented as he joined us, making me roll my eyes at him. "They said the design symbolises strength and courage."
"I can't exactly see myself going into battle with that on my chest," Clark replied as he looked at me in confusion.
"Darker times call for darker methods," Lex shrugged. "His opponents thought he was invincible."
"I didn't know you were such a history buff," I commented as I glanced up at him, he glanced down and shrugged.
"I'm not," he replied. "I'm just interested in people who ruled the world before they were thirty."
"And suddenly I'm not surprised anymore," I laughed dryly as I shook my head as Lana joined us.
"Don't worry Lex you still have a few years to go," she told him with a small teasing smile.
"Hey Lana," I greeted lightly.
"Hey Izzy," she smiled as she side hugged me. "Where's Jamie?" I shot Lex a look.
"He wasn't invited," I replied simply making her give Lex a surprised look before she turned to Clark.
"Lana," he nodded in greeting. "I didn't know you were going to be here."
"Didn't Lex tell you?" Lana asked in surprise.
"Must have slipped my mind," Lex shrugged. "Why don't we leave you two alone? I need to have a chat with Izzy." He took my wrist and towed me after him making me frown up at him sullenly.
"What do you want Lex?" I asked him with a sigh.
"Okay, so I don't like your choice in boyfriends," he told me as I turned to face him. "Well actually, I can't fault it. But my point is; you broke up with Pete because he thought you were cheating on him with Jamie, right?" I shrugged non-committed and looked down. "How does it make you look if you start seeing the guy you were accused of cheating with?"
"I don't know Lex, how does it make me look?" I asked him simply.
"It makes it look like the accusations weren't false," he replied. "Either that or you're just using this Jamie kid to make Pete jealous." I clenched my jaw irritably. "Have you slept with him yet?"
"That's none of your business," I replied in a hiss making him give me a reading look.
"I'm going to take that as a no," he commented as I turned my head away from him. "Has he tried...?" I glared up at him, my face flushing. "So that's a yes... how much has he tried?"
"I'm not having this conversation with you," I told him simply before turning to walk away; Lex took a hold of my wrist again.
"If a guy pushes a girl to sleep with him, chances are he's going to dump her afterwards," he told me gently making me glare darkly up at him. "Just keep that in mind." I pulled my wrist from his hold before walking away from him, heading out of the building to calm down and get some air.
"Izzy wait up," Clark called from behind me when I reached the Lobby, making me turn towards him and frown curiously. "What's wrong? You sort of stormed out back there."
"Lex is being an ass," I shrugged it off making him frown.
"What'd he do?" he asked gently as we made for the main doors.
"Nothing," I shrugged. "But according to him, Jamie's going to toss me to the side as soon as I sleep with him." Clark didn't say anything to that, just looked away making me roll my eyes. "And apparently my brother agrees."
"Iz..." Clark sighed as I walked out of the doors and started down the museum steps. "Welcome to Metropolis... more or less." I glanced up at him before following his gaze to a bus stop bench; a homeless man was sleeping on it. "Izzy, you know we're all just trying to look out for you, right?"
I sighed and stopped walking at the bottom of the steps, near the bus stop as I turned to face him. "I don't appreciate you all telling me that my boyfriend just wants me for sex, Clark," I told him simply. "It's not exactly the best feeling in the world, okay?" He sighed and nodded before he looked up, making me follow his gaze.
A bus was making its way towards us, hitting parked cars, headed straight at me and the bus stop. Clark darted forward, grabbing a hold of me before he shielded me from the bus and let the bus hit him in the back, stopping it with his strength. I turned my head towards the museum at the sound of people approaching, making me glance at Clark before we both took off at super speed.
"I don't know what you're talking about Jamie," I sighed into my phone as I walked into the barn the next morning.
"I mean the huge ass bus crash outside the museum you were at last night," he replied making me roll my eyes before looking at Clark who was pulling the generator into the loft with one hand.
"Yeah well, I guess Clark and I had already gone home by then," I told him smoothly, making mom, dad and Clark turn towards me. "Look, Jay... I've got to go. I'll talk to you later."
"Okay sure," he sighed. "Love you."
"You too," I gave my well rehearsed reply to that statement before hanging up.
"So, night owls, how was Metropolis?" mom asked us as I joined Clark's side.
"Fine," Clark replied as I shrugged.
"Come on," mom smiled. "A reception at the Metropolis Museum and it was just fine?" she asked doubtfully.
"The museum was amazing," I told her. "It's just..."
"It's just what?" dad asked as I swapped a look with Clark.
"Something happened," he replied to dad before handing over the newspaper to mom, who showed it to dad. Headline: Metro Bus Crashes Museum Gala.
"It could have been worse," I pointed out. "Clark stopped it before anyone, including me, was hurt."
"Are you two alright?" mom asked us.
"We're fine," Clark nodded as I smiled lightly.
"What if somebody had seen you do it?" Dad asked, making me roll my eyes.
"Everyone was still in the museum," I told him honestly.
"I think it is fine," mom agreed. "There's no mention of any witnesses in the paper." My phone buzzed in my pocket making me glance at the screen to see Chloe's number.
"We should get to school," I commented to Clark, who nodded before we both moved to leave.
"Hey, Clark," Dad called making us both stop. "Look, I am real proud of what you did."
"We both are," mom smiled making Clark smile back before we headed out.
"What did Jamie want?" Clark asked as we walked towards the main doors, just getting to the school on time thanks to super speed.
"He wanted to know if I was okay," I replied. "He assumed I'd been at the crash last night." Clark sent me a look making me send him a 'shut up' look before I moved to my locker. Jamie was leaning against it when I arrived, making me resist an eye roll, turning it into a smile. "Hey."
"Hey," he smiled back as he pulled me towards him, leaning in to catch my lips with his. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I wasn't even there," I told him smoothly making him nod before kissing me again. I smirked against his lips before pulling away from him. "I need to get into my locker loverboy." He chuckled and pushed himself off of it, letting me put my combination in and open it, tensing momentarily as his lips descended on my neck while his arms looped around my waist.
"Jamie," I muttered as I shrugged him off. "Now is not the time, nor the place."
"Yeah I know," he sighed. "But you tend to run out on me whenever we start getting close anywhere else." I chewed at the inside of my cheek as he nuzzled into my neck.
"We tend to have shitty timing," I replied as I grabbed my sketchbook and turned to face him, kicking my locker shut. "Like now, I'm going to be late for class."
A small frown twitched at his lips before he smoothed it out into a smile and pressed a soft kiss to my lips before he backed up and walked off. I frowned at his retreating back, leaning against my locker for a moment before I shook my head. Clark and Lex were making me paranoid. "You ready for class?" Pete asked, popping up practically out of thin air, I jumped slightly before nodding and following him down the hallway to head to art.
I must have still had a frown on my face as we headed to class, because Pete gave me a curious yet worried look. "Are you okay, Iz?" he asked me cautiously, making me glance sideways towards him and shrug. "Did Jamie do something?" Suddenly he sounded angry.
"No," I sighed and turned away. "Well... no, no he didn't. Lex and Clark are being assholes and it's making me paranoid."
"Paranoid about what?" he asked as he took my hand and stopped me from walking, I was definitely going to be late for class.
"Nothing, forget it," I shook my head, he pulled me back as I tried to walk away, ending up with me practically pressed against his chest as he gave me a pointed look. Biting at my lip, I couldn't help but let my gaze snap to his lips.
"Izzy, tell me what's wrong," he sighed at me. "We're still friends, right?" I nodded and snapped myself out of it, backing off a few steps to put some space between us.
"They're convinced he's going to break up with me as soon as I sleep with him," I replied quietly as people walked past us. Pete's frown turned into a glare at the thought of that, "He's not using me Pete, stop glaring." He sighed slightly; his jaw clenched as I took his arm and pulled him along with me to class.
"Chloe got fired from the Torch this morning," Pete told me as we dropped into our seats, making me turn my head and give him a surprised look.
"Why?" I asked him quietly. "Chloe's the only one out of us that can write a decent article."
"Now you know that's a lie," Pete smirked slightly, making me glance at him with a small smile.
"Did I tell you that I'm joining computer club?" I asked him with a smirk, making him give me a disbelieving look.
"You're joking, right?" he asked me with a laugh, making me smirk slightly.
"I chose the college that I'm aiming for," I replied as the teacher gave the assignment. "I'm gonna go to Star City Tech."
"You're gonna go to Star City?" he asked me quickly, I nodded. "We're freshman, why are you even thinking about college?"
"Because, if I want to get into a decent one then I need to start getting my grades up," I shrugged in reply. "I might even join the Robotics club."
"You realise your popularity will just, die right?" he asked me with a smirk, I shrugged at him. "What does your boyfriend think of this?"
"He doesn't know yet," I shrugged with a sheepish smile as I bit at my lip. He arched an eyebrow at me, making me turn to the front before grabbing some paper and my pencil to start.
"Why haven't you told him?" he asked me curiously.
"He wants me to join the Squad," I replied simply. "And he's going to Met U next year, so he wants me to follow him there."
"Your boyfriend is a douche," he told me simply making me roll my eyes at him, suppressing the smile that wanted to spread across my lips.
"He just dropped a generator right on top of you?" I heard as I walked into the house through the kitchen door after hanging out in the coffee shop with Jamie and Whitney, both of whom didn't react, all that amazingly when I told them about my new extra curricula's.
"Who the hell dropped a generator on you? How did they know it wouldn't kill you!" I shouted angrily.
"He saw me stop the bus last night," Clark answered, making me stop dead and give him a horrified look.
"Maybe we should call the police," Mom suggested.
"He is the police," Clark replied. "I saw his badge, Metropolis P.D." I gave him a surprised look. "Dad... look I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
"Clark, you didn't do anything wrong," Dad told him.
"He told me to meet him in the Beanery tomorrow," Clark told us before looking at me. "He told me to bring you too."
"I didn't do anything super last night," I commented. "Why would he want me?"
"He said something like 'whatever mom and dad fed me to get me like this, you must be worth meeting too'," Clark shrugged making me frown.
"I don't want either of you going anywhere near this guy," dad told us. "I'll talk to him and I'll find out what he wants."
"Until then...?" I asked.
"Until then, you live your lives and you see your friends," dad replied. "And we're not gonna let this change us." I chewed at my lip before nodding and swapping a look with Clark.
"Uhm, change of subject real quick," I commented nervously making them look up at me. "I joined the computer club and the robotics club today." With that I tossed a grin and headed for the stairs.
"Freeze!" Dad shouted making me stop and turn to face them; all three were giving me suspicious looks.
"Why the sudden interest in extra curricula's?" Mom asked me.
"I chose my college," I replied simply, they gave me 'continue' looks. "I'm gonna go to Star City Tech, and when I graduate, I'm gonna work for Queen Industries."
"Luthor Corp's biggest competitor," dad commented making me cross my arms across my stomach as I nodded. "I'm okay with that."
"Of course you are," I laughed lightly. "If I want to get into Star City, I need to get my grades up and I need computer and robotics clubs to prove that I can do the work once I'm there."
"You're a freshman," Clark pointed out.
"Yeah," I nodded with a shrug. "But we all know I'm no genius... but if I work at it, I can be and there's no doubt I'll get into Star City Tech." This time they let me go to my room, where I dropped off my bag and headed up to the loft to grab my laptop.
I sat on the sofa starting up on the programme that I was supposed to do for computer club as Clark looked through his telescope at the stars. "You look like you're carrying the weight of the world," a voice sounded from the stairs, making me snap my head around to see Lex walking up. "Sorry if I surprised you, but there's really nowhere to knock."
"It's okay," Clark told him as I went back to my work. "Thanks again for last night." He took a step to the side and Lex took over the telescope as I glanced up.
"Your first visit to Metropolis and you're involved in a police investigation?" Lex asked the two of us. "That has to be some kind of record."
"How'd you know about that?" I asked curiously as I looked up, he turned his head.
"The detective in charge came to see me first," he replied.
"What'd he tell you?" Clark asked curiously.
"Not much," Lex shrugged. "Maybe that's what's bothering me."
"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.
"Metropolis police usually don't send detectives to investigate traffic accidents," was the reply. "So I made a call. Turns out the official investigation is already closed. Do you really want Sam Phelan in your life?"
"You know him?" Clark asked.
"Unfortunately," Lex nodded. "I had my share of legal problems when I was in Metropolis."
"Serious?" I asked with a smirk.
"Expensive," he replied. "Phelan was the kind of officer my father felt we could turn to for help."
"You're saying he's a dirty cop?" Clark asked him as my laptop beeped; I glanced back down and started typing again.
"I'm saying he'll do whatever it takes to get the job done," Lex told us, his gaze on me curiously as I carried on typing. "Plant evidence, falsify reports, anything is fair game and if he's got something on you two, he'll use it."
"He just wanted to talk," Clark told him.
"Then you've got nothing to worry about," Lex told him simply before glancing at me. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," I shrugged non-committed, "Just some stuff for Computer Club."
"You're in computer club?" Lex smirked in amusement.
"Why does everyone find that surprising?" I asked with a sigh.
"Chloe wanted to talk to you about the Torch by the way," Clark commented, making me glance up at him before nodding and pulling my phone out to dial her.
"Hello?" Chloe asked as I held my phone between my ear and my shoulder.
"Hey," I smiled lightly, "Clark said you wanted me for something."
"Kwan fired me off the Torch," she told me sadly.
"Pete told me," I sighed sympathetically. "What do you need me to do?"
"Lana's going to talk to Kwan for me," she replied. "But if that fails, I want you to take over as Editor."
"Chloe," I sighed irritably, making Clark and Lex give me a curious look. "I'm kind of a little bit busy to take up the editor position."
"I thought you liked writing for the Torch," she sighed.
"I do," I told her honestly as I entered the next code. "How about, if Kwan makes me Editor, I pass the reigns to you. The only thing that will change is the fact that my name is down as editor. We do what we do now, you stay in charge."
"That's exactly what I was suggesting," she replied, an obvious grin on her face from the tone she was using.
"Then we can deal with that," I told her.
"What's with the new techno nerd identity I hear about?" she asked curiously, making me stop typing and frown slightly. "Pete told me." She explained to my silence.
"I'll tell you all about it tomorrow," I told her with a sigh, "But I need to get back to this project."
"Okay," she laughed. "I'll talk to you in the morning." With that we hung up and I tossed Lex and Clark a 'mind your own business' look before going back to my typing.
"Okay, I'm here," I said as I walked into the Torch the next morning, messenger bag slung over my shoulder as I struggled to juggle all the papers and notebooks I had in my hands.
"Hey," Chloe and Clark greeted, Clark taking some of the things out of my hands and putting them at my computer.
"Thanks," I smiled at him before turning to Chloe. "Have you heard anything about Lana's meeting with Kwan yet?"
"No, not ye..." she started.
"Hey," Lana suddenly greeted, making us turn to her.
"How'd it go?" Chloe asked her.
"Well, it's interesting," she replied.
"Bottom line it," I replied. "When can the next issue go out?"
"Day after tomorrow," she replied making me nod and turn to Chloe who was grinning. "Only thing is, Kwan said you're still fired. You need to find a new editor."
"We already have," I replied before grinning pointedly.
"You're taking up editor as well as the two clubs you started yesterday?" Lana asked in shock. "Even you're not that good."
I shrugged, "I'm doing a favour for a friend," I told her. "Plus Chloe's still in charge, just my name is going to replace hers." I glanced at my watch. "Gotta go, I need to meet up with Eric and Ian before class."
"Eric and Ian?" Clark asked, "Since when...?"
"They're in the computer club with me," I shrugged simply before walking out.
I stood at Eric's locker with the two of them, smirking over Ian's programming idea as he showed us on his laptop. "So let me guess, computer game programming?" Eric asked as he glanced at me.
"Satellite enhancement actually," I smirked as I leant back against his locker, the two of them gave me shocked looks. "Or at least that's what I'm hoping it'll turn out to be."
"You know that we can help, right?" Ian suggested with a smirk, I shrugged and nodded.
"Let me try on my own first," I told him, "If I need your help, then I'll ask." He nodded in agreement before looking up and frowning slightly making me follow his gaze down the hall. Jamie and Whitney were walking towards us, mocking glints in their eyes.
"Baby, what are you doing here with the techno geeks?" Jamie asked as he walked over and pulled me away from the locker, his arms wrapping around my waist as he nuzzled his face into my neck. I shrugged him off and turned to face him angrily.
"These techno geeks, as you call them, are my friends," I told him irritably. "And I happen to be one of them so I'd watch what you say about them from now on."
"Come on, baby," he smirked, stepping closer to me; I took a step back, closer to Eric and Ian.
"No," I glared. "I'm angry at you right now. Maybe I'll forgive you if you come up with a decent apology for once instead of just expecting me to let it slide."
"You're gonna be late for Art," Eric commented, making me glance around at him with a small smile.
"Then I'll see you guys at lunch," I told the two of them. "We can meet in the computer lab, I'll show you what I've got up to now." Eric grinned and nodded as Ian smirked slightly.
"Satellite enhancement?" Ian asked at lunch as I went through the programme, "Translated into, hacking into Luthor Corp and Queen Industries unnoticed, right?"
"Something, like that," I shrugged with a small smile. "It should let me hack into anything I want to hack into... I just need Mr Queen's permission to use his satellite to test it."
"Which he's never going to give you," Eric pointed out as he sat on a seat next to me and stated to type at my computer to look through the programming.
"So, can I ask, why the sudden interest in all things techno?" Ian asked curiously, making me glance at him as he worked on the computer one over from mine, I got up and dropped into the seat next to him instead.
"I need it for college," I shrugged, making him give me a surprised look. "What? You think you're the only one who's starting early?"
My phone buzzed in my pocket, making me roll my eyes before pulling it out and flipping it open, "What's up Clark?" I asked curiously.
"Phelan found me," he replied. "I need you to meet us at the Beanery."
"What happened?" I asked as I stood up leaning over my computer, pushing Eric out of the way so I could shut it down and take the memory drive.
"He threatened mom and dad," he replied making me straighten up, my eyes narrowing in a glare.
"I'll see you guys later," I told the two of them before grabbing my things and leaving. "I'll be there in a flash."
A few minutes later I skid to a stop outside the Beanery, turning my head to see Clark sat in a car with some guy I assumed was Phelan. "Get in, kid," Phelan told me, nodding to the backseat making me frown slightly.
"Izzy, just, get in," Clark sighed at me making me glower before I slid in. Once I was in the car Phelan started driving and I turned my curious gaze to the back of Clark's head.
I didn't get much explained to me, we ended up in Metropolis, Phelan pulling the car up outside of a dark building. "What are we doing here?" I asked irritably.
"You want to know the biggest obstacle in my job?" Phelan asked us. "It's not the perps, it's the bureaucracy. I mean, how am I supposed to fight crime with one hand tied behind my back?"
"I thought you said we were going after bad guys," Clark commented, making me frown, at least he got some info out of him.
"Oh we are," Phelan nodded. "They're called Internal Affairs. In fact, the head of the IA division lives right up there on the fifth floor."
"We're not gonna hurt anybody," Clark told him angrily.
"Relax," Phelan smirked. "You're just gonna help me retrieve some files. You see, these IA types, they have a real trust problem. It turns out the deputy chief keeps all of his most sensitive case files at home. The man's got a safe, so you find it, you open it and you bring me whatever's inside. You do this one thing for me, and I'll never trouble you again."
"I know what you're about Phelan," Clark told him. "Lex Luthor told us."
"Well, your friend Lex isn't exactly on the side of the angels," Phelan told us. "He's got his secrets just like you. It's apartment 517."
I bit my lip and glanced at Clark before nodding, we both climbed out of the car and headed up, me phasing us through the door before Clark used his x-ray vision to look for the safe. "Toss the safe," I told him simply, Clark nodded before pulling the safe out of the wall, I reached inside and pulled out a file before Clark tossed the safe out of the window aiming for the car.
"Hey Phelan," Clark shouted down before super speeding down to him, me beside him as I held the file out.
"You want you file?" I asked. "It's all yours." With that I pressed it into this chest as sirens approached.
"Did you call them?" Phelan asked us, I smirked before the two of us took off at super speed.
"Morning guys," Clark's voice greeted ahead of me as I walked down the stairs, yawning and pulling my hair up into a messy ponytail.
"What time did you two get in last night?" Mom asked us. "I didn't hear you."
"Uh late," I replied. "We were in the Torch, we lost track of time."
"Has... has Phelan tried to contact either of you?" Dad asked us as I grabbed a piece of his toast.
"Don't worry daddy," I smiled at him. "I think he's out of our lives for good." A knock sounded on the door, making me turn to see Ethan and Bob, two cops, looking at us through the screen door.
"Ethan, Bob," Dad greeted, "What's going on?"
"We got a warrant," Ethan replied. "It's a warrant to search your property, Jonathan."
"A warrant?" I asked in shock.
"Come on in," Dad told them. "What for?"
"We got a tip from Metropolis PD," Ethan replied as another cop walked in.
"You'd better come and take a look at this," he told Ethan, Bob and dad. I followed them to the barn, where my gaze landed on a man with a bullet hole in his chest.
"Oh, my God," I muttered as I backed off, paling at the sight of a dead body in the barn.
"Looks like he was shot in the heart," Ethan pointed out. "You want to explain to me what a dead body's doing in your barn, Jonathan?"
"I have no idea," dad replied. "I've never seen that man before."
"Ethan," the other cop called. "We found this hidden under the seat in the truck." He held up a plastic bag with a gun in it making my jaw drop.
"That is not my gun," dad told them. "And I have no idea how it got in my truck."
"I'm sorry, Jonathan," Ethan told him. "We're gonna have to place you under arrest."
"Daddy..." I started as Clark walked in, just in time to see Ethan cuffing dad.
"It's all right," dad told us. "Call Bill Ross, have him meet me at the jail." I nodded before backing out of the barn as Clark moved forward angrily.
I bit my lip and watched as they put dad in the police car, mom getting into her car to follow them. I glanced around to make sure everyone was gone before I took off at super speed to the Ross' house. I slammed my hand on the door as soon as I got there, Pete pulling it open after a few seconds. "Izzy, what are you...?" he started to ask, but I pushed past him.
"Where's your dad?" I asked him quickly as I walked through the hall, Bill popped his head out of the kitchen.
"Isabelle," he greeted. "What is it?"
"My dad's just been arrested for murder," I replied making him give me a shocked look. "Someone planted a dead body and a gun on the farm, Mr Ross. You need to go to the jail and get him out. Please?" I had desperate tears glittering in my eyes.
"I'm already on my way," he told me quickly before rushing back into the kitchen to talk to his wife as Pete turned me around to face him. I sniffled slightly, making him sigh before pulling me into his chest, letting me bury my face in his neck as I clung to him.
I went to school with Pete, finding my things in my locker thanks to Clark. We stood at my locker, Pete's hand on my arm as he tried to comfort me, when Jamie walked up with a gang of the jocks. "Ross, I'd take your hands off my girl if I were you," was the greeting we got from him, making me glance up at him with a dark glare.
Pete dropped his hand from my arm with a frustrated sigh as Jamie pulled me towards him, "Why the long face babe?" he asked me curiously.
"Well number one, I'm still pissed at you, so take your damn hands off of me," I growled at him angrily as I pushed him away from me. "Secondly, none of your damn business is what's wrong with me." I turned and took Pete's wrist, pulling him down the corridor with me.
"What the hell is your problem all of a sudden?" Jamie shouted after me, making me stop and turn to face him, the anger I'd been feeling the past few days for him and for Lex and for Phelan was quickly moving from simmer to boil as I felt my body start to heat up.
"Ah," Pete suddenly hissed, pulling his wrist out of my hold, holding it as he gave me a shocked look. I tossed him a guilty look before I threw Jamie and the jocks a dark glare again and took off down the corridor.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," I muttered to myself as I rushed out of the school, I could still feel my body heating up.
"Izzy, what the hell was that?" Pete asked as he ran after me, making me turn around and back away from him quickly as I shook my arms, begging myself to calm down enough so I wouldn't light up in front of him. "Izzy?"
"I'm sorry," I told him quickly, "I didn't... I shouldn't... I'm..." A tear trickled down my cheek at the thought of hurting him again, making me back off again as he tried to approach me.
"Izzy, it's me," he told me gently, holding his hands up in a surrender position, my gaze snapped to his arm where a pinkish handprint stood out against the rest of his skin. "It's okay, just tell me what's wrong."
"I hurt you," I muttered as he walked up to me, he reached out to touch me, making me flinch away.
"Tell me how," he asked me softly as I bit my lip. I looked up at him with wide, scared eyes. "Iz, I'm not gonna think any different of you. Are you... did you get infected by the meteors?" I nodded slowly as I dropped my gaze. "How long?"
"During the shower," I replied quietly making him freeze as I closed my eyes and waited for him to freak out.
"You didn't tell me," he sighed sadly.
"I didn't know how you'd react," I replied quietly, feeling my body cool down as I started to feel more upset than angry. "I'm sorry." He let out a sigh before reaching for me tentatively, his hand rested on mine before he let out a sigh when he realised I wasn't going to burn him again. With that he pulled me into his arms, letting me cling to him again as I buried my face in his neck, his arms holding me close as he ran a hand through my hair. "I should have told you."
"It's okay," he muttered into my hair. "I get it... nothing's gonna change the way I feel about you, Iz." I nodded into his neck as I closed my eyes and let a few tears fall down my cheek and on to his neck.
"Um, what's...?" Chloe's voice suddenly asked, making me pull away from Pete to see her and Clark watching us in surprise. I wiped my cheeks and smiled weakly at them.
"Izzy's just worried about her dad," Pete replied as he draped his arm around my shoulders, making me rest my head on his shoulder and smile at him thankfully.
"I'm gonna go see him," Clark told me. "You want to come with?"
I shook my head slowly as I bit at my lip, "I'd rather not see him in an orange jump suit," I replied simply making him sigh before he nodded and headed off. Chloe looked at me sadly before nodding for us to follow her.
"I need my 'editor' to look over the layout for tomorrows Torch," she smirked at me, making me smile back lightly before I pulled away from Pete as she started off to the school again.
"Thanks," I smiled at him. "I figured..."
"No," he smiled at me as he rested his hand on my cheek. "I'm not going anywhere, I'm not mad at you... and if you ever need me, I'll be there." I blushed lightly before leaning in to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth, pulling away quickly and walking off before I did something I'd regret.
"Is it just dad that had you upset today?" Clark asked as he joined me that night, sitting next to me on the steps of the loft. I glanced sideways to him and let out a small breath before nodding my answer. "How about you tell me the truth this time?" I shot him a look.
"You busy, Clark, Isabelle?" a voice asked, making me look up to see Phelan walking in.
"What do you want from us?" I asked angrily.
"That's complicated," he replied. "After last night, I've got Internal Affairs asking me more questions that I want to answer."
"It's your problem," Clark told him.
"No, it's our problem," he replied. "But our next bit of business is gonna be our last."
"Look, I don't care," Clark told him as he stood up. "You can tell the whole world about me."
"Clark, you may not care about yourself, but think about your parents," he told him. "Now, your father's in jail on a murder charge, and whether he beats it or not, he's gonna lose this farm just paying legal fees. I can still make all that go away." He snapped his fingers to indicate how fast. "So what's it gonna be?"
I swapped a look with Clark before sighing as he nodded to me. We followed him out of the barn to his car and climbed in.
A little while later we pulled up outside of the Metropolis Museum, making me look up at it with a frown. "What are we doing here?" I asked curiously.
"Since I couldn't pick up my Internal Affairs records, I figured it was time to pick up my retirement package," he replied simply.
"The breastplate," Clark confirmed. "You want us to steal it for you?"
"I don't give a damn about the breastplate," Phelan told us. "I just want the ten million dollars worth of jewels that are on it. Come on." He climbed out, so Clark and I swapped a look before following suit.
"So we're just gonna bust in?" I asked plainly.
"Not quite," he replied. "See, Metropolis PD keeps blueprints on all high-security buildings in the city, so I know this place better than the architect. The security system all runs through this junction box." He indicated it with his flashlight. "Open it up."
"Is it alarmed?" Clark asked curiously.
"They only alarm things they think somebody could get through," Phelan replied simply. "Clark, I'm getting bored with this. You want your old like back, you do it." I frowned slightly but Clark bent back the metal of the box.
"Cameras are one thing," I commented. "What about the guards?"
"They're about to get real busy," he replied as he dialled his cell phone. "Yeah, Metropolis Museum? You have two minutes to leave the building. There's a bomb outside."
After that he hung up and turned to the junction box and stared at the wires for a few seconds with wire clippers in his hands. "You gonna clip them or what?" I asked him irritably, he tossed me a look. "You don't know what ones to clip, do you?"
He didn't answer, so I took the clippers from him and trailed my fingers across the wires before clipping a few. "They cameras are dead in Luthor Hall," I commented as I handed him the wire cutters back.
We headed inside after that, surrounding the breastplate display which was surrounded by bars. "Kid, show me the magic," he told Clark who bent the bars apart and punched through the glass before stepping back to stand next to me as Phelan took the breastplate.
"We are gonna make a great team," Phelan commented as he put it in a bag and zipped it shut, he looked through the wall before glancing at me and nodding. I smirked and took a step back.
"We'll never be a team, Phelan," I told him simply as Clark grabbed the bag and tossed it through a high window. "You might be able to explain the safe, but your fingerprints are all over that breastplate."
"You might be strong, but you're not bulletproof!" Phelan snapped at us as he pulled a gun out. I grabbed Clark's hand as he fired, letting the bullets pass straight through us, shattering more display cases before we took off at super speed as security guards approached.
"All the charges were dropped on dad," Clark told me as he walked into the Torch the next morning, "He got home this morning just after you left." I grinned at him and nodded. "Why the hurry to get to school anyway?"
I handed him the day's issue of the Torch with a big bold headline: Kwan Crushes Freedom of Speech. "He's gonna kill you," he commented making me shrug as he chuckled. "I'll see you after class, Izzy."
"See ya Clark," I smirked at him before turning back to the computer to write another article to piss of Kwan.
"Miss Kent!" he snapped as he walked in. "What's this?" He was waving around one of the papers making me give him an apathetic look.
"It's a news story," I replied simply.
"It's unacceptable," he snapped at me.
"Why?" I asked him. "It covers all the criteria. It deals with a student, a school-sponsored club, and there are no mutants in sight."
"Did you do this because you thought I'd reinstate Miss Sullivan?" he asked me.
"I did this because it's the right thing to do," I replied simply as I stood up to face him, folding my arms across my chest. "Chloe was born for this job."
"Although I do admire her passion, her reporting lacks accuracy," Kwan told me.
"I can work on that," Chloe commented as she walked in, joining my side.
"If you want your job back, Miss Sullivan, don't print what you can't prove," he told her firmly. "Do we have a deal?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "Thank you, Principal Kwan."
"Don't thank me," he told her. "Thank Miss Kent." With that he left and I smirked at Chloe who threw her arms around me.
"I knew you could get me this job back," she told me happily as I grinned. "Even with the other extra curricula's."
"Yeah well," I shrugged. "This is your paper, it's your thing. And it's the only thing you get to do with Clark." She blushed making me grin at her.
"It's the only thing you get to do with Pete," she countered making me flinch slightly and shrug. "What's going on with you and Jamie now-a-days anyway?"
"I'm still waiting for an apology," I replied smoothly. "If I get one, we're good. If I don't... well you saw what happened with Pete."
"Speaking of Pete..." she started. There was a knock on the doorframe making me turn to see, a sheepish looking Jamie, holding a purple tulip. "Never mind." I glanced at Chloe and she nodded before walking past him as he walked over to me.
"I'm sorry," he told me softly. "I shouldn't have said anything about your computer club friends. I shouldn't have laughed at the fact you joined in the first place. I shouldn't have tried to start an argument with Pete, because I know you're still friends with him and he means a lot to you. I'm more, sorry than you can possibly believe." He handed me the tulip and looked down at me with hopeful eyes. "I miss having you around Iz and it feels like someone rips my heart out of my chest every time you look at me like I mean nothing to you." A tear slid down my cheek as I lowered my gaze.
Talk about a decent apology for once, "Babe," he muttered, lifting my chin. "Please..." I smiled lightly and moved to my tiptoes to press my lips against his, my arms looping around his neck as his slid around my waist to hold me to him.
"I knew there was a reason I kept you around," I smirked as I pulled away slightly. He grinned back before lifting a hand to wipe my tear from my cheek with his thumb.
"I love you Iz," he muttered to me, I blushed lightly and I smiled before deciding on my answer.
"I love you too," I told him finally, making a grin spread across his face before he leant in and locked his lips on mine, making me grin against them. Just before I let my eyes flicker closed, my gaze shifted to the door of the Torch, where Pete was stood... I froze at the sight of the devastated expression on his face. I pulled away from Jamie slightly to say something to Pete but he just shook his head and walked off as Jamie nuzzled his face into my neck.
AN: So sorry it took so long, I've been really distracted lately! Hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think about the Jamie/OC/Pete triangle.